The present invention relates to an intermediate electrical connector for connecting two mating connectors, with the mating connecting bodies are mating connectors or circuit boards.
As a conventional connector of this type, there is known an intermediate electrical connector that is an intermediate electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference. Patent Reference discloses an electrical connector assembled component, in which electrical connectors for circuit board use (mating connectors), the mating connecting bodies, are fitted to the intermediate electrical connector from thereabove and from thereunder. As a result, an electrical connector assembled component is completed, and the upper and lower mating connectors are electrically connected via the intermediate electrical connector. The conventional intermediate electrical connector includes a plurality of intermediate members and a housing. The plurality of intermediate members has flat shape and is to be connected to the respective mating connecting bodies. The housing arranges and holds the plurality of intermediate members in the sheet thickness direction of the intermediate members.    Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-070573
Each intermediate member has a plurality of terminals on one surface of a substrate that is flat and is made of electrically insulating material, and has a shielding plate on the other surface. Each terminal is formed of thin strip-like member extending in the up-and-down direction. Each terminal has a contact sections at an upper end thereof and at a lower end thereof, to contact with mating terminals provided in the mating connector(s). The housing is made of an electrically insulating material as one member. The housing has slit-like housing groove portions to house the respective intermediate members, penetrating in the up-and-down direction and being arranged in the arrangement direction of the intermediate members (in a longitudinal direction of the housing). The groove portion width of each housing groove portion (dimension of an inner width thereof in the arrangement direction) is formed slightly larger than the thickness of the intermediate members.
When the intermediate members are housed in the housing groove portions, there are gaps formed in the arrangement direction between sheet surfaces of the intermediate members and the inner wall surfaces of the housing groove portions. Moreover, the upper-end parts and lower-end parts of the intermediate members protrude from upper-end openings and lower-end openings of the housing groove portions.
The two mating connectors are formed to have the same shape. The two mating connectors are configured such that the slit-like receiving groove portions receive the upper-end parts and the lower-end parts of the intermediate members. The slit-like receiving groove portions are arranged and formed in the longitudinal direction of the housing (mating housing) of each mating connector. In the respective receiving groove portions, there is arranged a plurality of mating terminals in a lateral direction of the mating housing (a connector's widthwise direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction). The plurality of mating terminals corresponds to the terminals of the intermediate members. The contact sections of the mating terminals protrude towards inside of the receiving groove portions in the groove portion's widthwise direction (the longitudinal direction).
Moreover, the groove portion width of the receiving groove portions is made slightly larger than the thickness of the intermediate members. When the upper end parts and the lower end parts are inserted in the receiving groove portions, there are formed gaps between sheet surfaces of the intermediate members and the receiving groove portions. On the both surfaces of the dividing walls that divide between the receiving groove portions, there is formed a plurality of protruding portions at the same height level as the contact sections of the mating terminals. In a state that the connectors are fitted, the upper end parts and the lower end parts of the intermediate members inserted in the receiving groove portions of the respective mating connectors are restricted at the both sheet surfaces from movement in the groove portion's widthwise direction, by the plurality of protruding portions.
According to Patent Reference, when the intermediate electrical connector fits to the mating connector in a state of being displaced in the arrangement direction, or when the intermediate connector fits to the mating connector at a normal position, but the positions are displaced after the fitting by receiving external force in the arrangement direction, the intermediate connector tilts around the protruding portions having the protruding portion as a fulcrum so as to be able to follow the displacement between the mating connectors. As a result, it is possible to maintain the connected state of the connectors.
According to the connector assembled component of Patent Reference, when the displacement in the longitudinal direction occurs between the intermediate electrical connector and the mating connector, the intermediate members of the intermediate electrical connector tilts using the gap in the housing groove portion so as to follow the displacement. The tilting of the intermediate members is allowed in the range of the groove portion width of the housing groove portions. Therefore, in order to handle large displacement that occurs within expectation, it is necessary to secure sufficiently large groove portion width of the housing groove portions. In addition, in order to maintain the strength of the housing, it is necessary to secure the thickness of the end walls of the housing and the dividing walls between the housing groove portions. Those necessities increases will cause size increase of the intermediate electrical connector and in turn the connector assembled body in the longitudinal direction.
Furthermore, as described in Patent Reference, it is not easy to form in the housing or in the mating housing the housing groove portions or the receiving groove portions in a large number being close to each other.
In view of the above-described issues of conventional technique, there is provided an invention, an object of which is to provide an intermediate electrical connector that can keep up with the physical displacement of the mating connecting bodies relative to each other without increasing the size of the connector and that can be easily produced.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the present invention.